


The Woobie, The Witch, And The Woman

by captainkid



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Student/Teacher, F/M, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2019-10-24
Packaged: 2020-12-09 04:21:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20988764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainkid/pseuds/captainkid
Summary: When Mr. Gold tells his class that he will be leading a study abroad group next semester in London, Belle is more than happy to sign up for the teacher's class (yeah okay, mostly because she has a thing for him). Gold is just as happy for the student he's been pining over to come along on the trip.Though they're both scared to tell each other about their feelings, fear isn't the only thing keeping these two apart. A psychotic university dean by the name of Zelena wants Gold all to herself, and will do anything to stop Belle from coming in between them.





	1. Chapter 1

"Before you all leave I have an exciting announcement that i'm sure you'll want to hear." Professor Gold proudly addressed the students in his British Writers class. "I've been given the green light to lead an Intro to Shakespeare class on an excursion in London next semester."

Gold's students were usually deathly quiet for fear of being yelled at and berated, for giving the wrong answer or speaking at the wrong time, but at the professor's announcement, soft murmurs could be heard all across the room.

"I'm not finished! Thank you. There, we will learn about Shakespeare and his most popular plays, all while traveling the towns he once lived, breathed, and wrote in. Of course multiple trips will be taken to The Globe Theater to view the plays we discuss. If you are interested in signing up for the class, I suggest you do it quickly before room runs out, as there is room for only so many students."

Belle sat frozen in her chair, the ghost of a smile on her lips and her heart nervously racing, as everyone around her gathered their belongings and made a line for the door. She couldn't believe an opportunity like this had come along.

If Belle were to be honest about it, she was mostly excited for the wrong reason. Traveling abroad while learning about a subject she loves is amazing enough as it is, but getting to do so with the professor she has a thing for? It was like a fairy tale that only happened in a work of fanfiction!

Someone cleared their throat, knocking Belle out of her stupor. Her eyes landed on Gold, who stood an inch from the front of her desk with one hand on his walking cane, and one in his pants pocket. She panicked at the sly smile on his face, thinking he probably thought she was looking at the wrong area of his pants because it was so close to his pocket.

Could he really blame her if she did look, which she's not saying she did, because how could she avoid it when it's right in front of her face? Embarrassed at her thought process, she could feel her face heating up and figured the best thing to do was to get out of there as fast as her legs could take her.

Belle tried to shove her book and binder into her backpack, neither of which wanted to go in because the zipper was stuck and wouldn't budge no matter how she pulled on it. A hand landed on top of hers, deepening her blush and forcing Belle to take a break to finally pay attention to the man in front of her.

"Did you not hear me, dearie?" Gold looked amused at the trouble Belle was having. Probably laughing at her, she thought.

"Uhh no i'm sorry," she sighed, "i'm just so focused on this." she gestured towards the zipper.

"Let me help," he grabbed the backpack and effortlessly made the zipper glide open. "I asked if you were interested in going on the trip to London?"

"Oh um, yeah it sounds like a good time." He handed the bag back to her so she could continue putting her stuff into it.

"Great. I would hate for my favorite student to miss out on it." Belle noticed a twinkle in his eye but stopped herself from reading too far into it.

"Oh, and who would that be?" She got out of the desk chair and slung the bag onto one of her shoulders. Her nervousness towards Gold slid away as she fell into their normal routine of flirtatious banter.

Well it was sometimes normal. Half the time between them consisted of flirty smiles, winks and quips. The other half was spent awkwardly avoiding eye contact, not saying a single word to each other, and acting like neither person existed. She knows that their dynamic friendship is weird and often goes half mad trying to figure out the cause behind the professor being so hot and cold towards her.

Gold placed his cane in front of him, gripping it with both hands and averting his eyes to the floor. "Just the smartest and bravest young book worm this university has in attendance. You might know her." Gold shyly looked back up through his eyelashes.

Belle giggled at that. Although she knows he thinks good of her, she still perked up every time he complimented her, like he was doing it for the first time all over again.

"What's so funny?" Clacking high heels entered Gold's classroom, accompanied by an icy voice. Belle spun around to see Zelena (most students and even professors preferred to call her the wicked witch of the west) the Dean of the English department.

Gold stared at the woman clad in an all green suit, the only color she ever wore, with heels and gaudy jewelry to match. "I've rendered you speechless yet again haven't I goldie?" Zelena walked past Belle and wrinkled her nose with a laugh. "I always seem to have that affect on him!" She explained to Belle.

"Anyway, have I got some news for you darling! I'll be accompanying you on your trip to London. Mostly to supervise, as this is the first time you'll be traveling abroad with a class. However, i'm sure we can make some extra time for more than just supervising."

Zelena sauntered up to Gold and ran a slender finger slowly down his tie before throwing her head back to cackle. All Belle could do was stare at the scene happening in front of her, filled with so much jealousy that she might as well have been wearing the green outfit that the dean had on.

Belle couldn't tell whether or not Gold was happy with the news, as his face remained blank with his mouth gaping at the woman fawning all over him.

The man finally gained the ability to utter one word.

"Fantastic."

His voice sounded strained and Belle couldn't help but to imagine it was because he enjoyed the whole interaction a little too much and was wishing Belle would leave so that he could ravish the witch on his desktop, or worse: on the desk she was just sitting at.

He looked up at Belle who immediately cast away her eyes, hoping the professor wouldn't notice the humility that welled in her eyes and reddened her sullen face.

"Ms. French," she didn't listen to what the professor was fixing to say because she figured he was going to tell her to get out, and she wanted nothing more than to oblige.

Zelena put a finger on Gold's chin to turn his head towards hers. "Forget about her darling, we've got a date to get on with, remember?"

Belle finally reached the class door and slammed it behind her, using the safety of the empty halls to let hot tears run down her cheeks. She could only think of how stupid she was for allowing herself to fall for someone she obviously had no chance with, and could foresee another cold front moving in between them.

If there was one thing she was happy about, it was that the semester was over and she wouldn't have to be in a classroom with him until the next semester, which was four months away. That is, if she even decided to sign up for his Shakespearean class.


	2. Chapter 2

"What's her problem? Gold?" Zelena snapped her fingers in front of his face to get the man's attention.

He scowled and grabbed her wrists. "Why can't you just leave me the hell alone?"

"What are you going to do? Hurt me?" She let out her trademark cackle. "You wouldn't do a damn thing to me! And let me tell you, you'll never do a damn thing to her either."

Gold pushed her arms away. "What are you on about?"

"Do you think I didn't see the way you were looking at her, one of your own students? You won't get to have your way with her. Not that a beautiful young woman such as herself would want anything to do with a crippled old grouch like you anyway."

"If i'm such an old grouch, then why won't you leave me the hell alone?"

Zelena pretended not to hear Gold's remark. "Keep in mind that if you continue rejecting me, your career will be ruined. Just. Like. That. "

Gold moved away from her to slump at his desk seat and she followed like a dog at his heel.

"Are you suggesting you would lie, tell everyone i'm screwing a student, so that you could get me fired just because I won't fuck you?"

She put both hands on his desk and leaned in, far too close for comfort. "No one would think it was a lie, I can make anyone believe anything about you. I am the dean of your department Gold, I could end your career, hell even your life if I wanted to! Never forget that."

"Do you really think I could forget something like that Zelena?" He was so tired of her antics but knew he was defeated.

Gold had an endless well of anger inside him that had been growing endlessly over the years due to the way she treated him. And all because the psychopath had an obsessive crush on him.

He knew there was no way of escaping the situation. Even if he told their superiors about it, there was a big chance that they would believe her story over his.  
Feeling helpless, he stood and swung his cane across the desk, hitting an ornate vase that flew across the room to shatter against the rough brick wall.

"I wish I could hit you too." He growled while hunched over his desk, letting strands of long hair cover his eyes to block the person he hated most from view.

"Do it, if you want to so badly." Zelena stood there for a few seconds with a toothy grin plastered to her face that sent an unpleasant shudder down Gold's spine.  
"No? Great! let's get to our date then shall we?"

During the meeting, or "date" as she loved to call it, gold had been zoned out almost the entire time. Not that it mattered because all of the information she was feeding him included nothing more than dates the two of them could go on while in London.

The only thing he could concentrate on was how much control Zelena had over his life, and what had happened with Belle earlier. She seemed so happy until the witch came into the room.

Gold could have sworn he saw tears in her eyes when Zelena was flirting with him. To top it all off, she slammed the class door so hard that he was surprised it didn't fall off of its hinges.

It wasn't hard to convince himself though that Belle wasn't upset over him, or the way Zelena had acted towards him. The witch was right, there's no chance Belle would want anything to do with an old man like him.

~~~~~

Belle was overcome with relief to be back at her father's home, in her own bedroom again. Getting away from the university, dorms, and Professor - nope she wasn't even going to think about him - was just what she needed.

Her father, Maurice, walked into the room and plunked down a hefty storage trunk. "That's the last one!"

"Thank you papa." Belle tried to muster a smile.

Maurice walked over and sat on the bed, grabbing his daughter's hand. "I'm so glad to have you back, my delicate flower!"

She almost rolled her eyes when her father called her delicate, but she knew fussing at him for it would be a waste of time because he would never quit viewing her that way.  
"And i'm glad to be back. For now though I really just want to rest, but tomorrow I promise to help you in the flower shop."

"That would be splendid! Do you need any help unpacking?" He got up and walked over to the trunks that were sitting in a corner.

"I'll manage on my own. You get back to work, those flowers won't fertilize themselves."

Maurice told Belle he would leave her to it before exiting the room. She sat on her bed for a few seconds while the words "I suggest you do it quickly before room runs out," kept repeating in her mind.

She took the laptop out of her backpack and turned it on, going to the Education Abroad page on the university's website. Belle searched the page until she found and clicked on the link titled Intro to Shakespeare - London, UK.

It took quite a few minutes before she said fuck it and started filling out the forms to apply for the trip. She'd be damned if she let some stupid unrequited crush stand in the way of her having the experience of a lifetime.

Sure, parts of the experience might be awkward with Gold and her ignoring each other, and with Zelena crawling all over him, but she wouldn't let that keep her from going to London to have a good time.

Days later, Maurice walked up to Belle who was re-potting and arranging flowers in the back of the shop. He held a letter up in the space between them, "This envelope says it has important acceptance information?"

She quickly wiped her dirty hands onto her apron before grabbing and ripping open the envelope. She unfolded the letter to read it, and only got so far as:  
  


Dear Belle French,

Congratulations,  
  


before she started jumping up and down and hugging her confused father.

She couldn't wait to tell Gold!

Her face fell as excitement turned into disappointment. Belle realized that there could be a chance Mr. Gold would think her silly if she sent an email to tell about the acceptance letter.

She wasn't sure he would care, he didn't seem to care about her at all these days really, even though he did say he wanted her to come along on the trip. She was conflicted but eventually decided to open up her email and start typing a message to him regardless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Changed the rating to Teen and up because of language, some wanted physical contact, and some unwanted physical contact (though nothing majorly depicted or severe in nature, only groping) in later chapters.
> 
> This is the first piece of work i've ever put online and i greatly appreciate the feedback i've gotten so far. Thank you so much, it helps me to be confident and inspired! Also, you guys in the comments are wonderful and hilarious <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gold has to fight off a bear in this chapter, and it might seem like it has no place in the story, but when we get to the last few chapters i promise it will make sense lol so just bear (see what i did there?) with me.

It was days into summer break, yet Gold still wasn't able to escape Zelena. The woman had been messaging him nonstop with ideas about things the two of them could do together in London, and even came by his house unannounced and uninvited.

The day finally came though when he was able to relax at home all alone for a few hours. He sat on a stool in front of his spinning wheel, and even if most people thought of it as a strange hobby for anyone in the modern world, Gold found that the constant turning of the creaking wheel made his mind empty.

Which to him, was a happy thing because his mind was wearily cluttered at all times. Not only did the hobby bring him peace, but a bit of extra income as well. He was so skilled in spinning that it created yarn fine enough that it might as well be threads of gold instead.

The smile faded from Gold's lips when out of nowhere a deep thunderous roar spread through the forest surrounding his home. Well, so much for a day without any disruptions.

He knew what it was before he even peeked out of the window. A bear prowled among the trees, its nose wiggling in all directions as if searching for something. Although he expected to see the bear, he hadn't expected to see a small boy crouched in front of a bush, obviously hiding from the animal just a few feet behind him.

Gold rolled his eyes, not wanting to deal with this inconvenience. He was used to dealing with a bear showing up on his property once in a while, but not boys being chased by them. He stared at the panic stricken kid, trying to decide whether to go outside to help him. He didn't see Gold looking through the window, so he could just keep spinning if he wanted.....

The kid chose the wrong moment to stand and look for where the bear had went. The animal was closer to him than before and let out another cry as it tried to swipe at the boy. How could Gold ever focus on his spinning with all this commotion going on? 

He ran to a nearby cupboard, grabbing a jar filled with powder. He ran for the door as fast as he could with his limp - there was no time for worrying about canes at the moment.

Gold slung the door open and picked up a few rocks, hurling them at the bear that had cornered the child against a wall of stones. Successfully getting the animal's attention, it turned with a growl and started towards the man.

"Kid! Get in the house!" He pointed in the direction of his door. The boy stood rooted to the ground with fear.

Gold twisted open the jar of powder and inched as close as he dared to the bear, slinging every grain of powder straight into its eyes, nose and mouth. He looked to the boy again and screamed, "Go!"

The powder seemed to have no effect on the animal except for causing it to grow angrier. It swiped a razor equipped paw at Gold. He jumped backwards, tripping on a branch and tumbling down the small hill behind him. Only then did the child decide that the bear was far enough away and ran past it to lock himself in the house.

The bear ambled toward Gold, quickly losing the strength in its legs and stumbling over its feet. Gold just sat and stared as the bear made its way over. Soon enough the animal was standing above gold, its legs on either side of his body. It swayed from side to side and breathed heavily, making Gold's leaf entangled hair flutter around.

Without warning, the bear dropped its full weight onto the legs of the man below it. The boy ran out of the house letting out a war cry and brandishing a broom above his head, with which he hit the head of the bear. He did it only once before realizing the animal was already passed out.

"What did you do to him? What was that powder?" The boy asked Gold as he struggled to slide himself out from underneath the bear.

"It's a concoction of different chemicals. Doesn't harm the animal, only makes it sleep for a while." He smiled at the kid and stood, now truly wishing he had grabbed his cane. He grabbed the broom from the child and used it to help him walk back to his home.

The boy followed him, making sure to shut the door behind them in case the bear woke up.

Gold plopped down on the couch, "Now. Where are your guardians?"

After receiving a number from the kid, he was able to reach his parents by phone and tell them what had happened and where he was. It just so happened that Regina Mills, the mayor of their town, turned out to be one of the boy's parents.

A knock on the door signaled their arrival, and they burst into the living room to squeeze the much embarrassed child in their arms.

"Stoooop," the kid squirmed in their arms, "i'm fine. I just wanted to explore."

"You don't go exploring the forest of a town you just moved into!" the blonde haired woman scolded.

"I'm so sorry all of this happened. Henry is quite adventurous and couldn't help but be tempted to enter the woods behind our house. It won't happen again, I can assure you." the dark haired woman sent a stern glare at the boy as she spoke the last few words.

"I wasn't aware that you had children Miss Mills." 

"I didn't until recently,"

Gold couldn't avoid the opportunity for a quip, "so he came out as a fully grown 12 year old did he? Impressive."

Regina gave a soft smile, "Not quite. Actually I got married earlier this month. Though I've always considered Henry my child, he wasn't officially until Emma and me tied the knot. They just got settled in at the house." she beamed at the blonde standing next to her.

"Well, congratulations. I'm sure you'll be a big happy family as long as Henry here doesn't try to get eaten by a bear again."

"Or maybe since i'm the new town sheriff, i'll just arrest him the next time he tries to sneak off into the woods." Emma joked.

"Listen, we still have some unpacking to do, but we really can't thank you enough Mr. Gold. You're a hero. If you ever need anything at all, just ask. We owe you big time."

When they left, Gold wondered if he would ever be allowed to relax again. God did he need to after that bear crushed his legs. He laid down on the couch and closed his eyes, praying not to be bothered again that day. And he wasn't... until about an hour later when he heard a ping from his laptop. He knew it meant an email had arrived in his inbox, but didn't particularly want to check it since it had to be Zelena harassing him again. 

Gold threw his pillow in the floor in agitation and walked over to his laptop to shut it off. God forbid if he had to hear anymore of those pings that instantly made him think of the wicked witch and stiffen (not in a good way but with stress). 

He paused just as his finger hovered over the power button. An email from Belle had popped up on the screen, which made him even more tense than when he got a message from Zelena.  
Gold didn't want to have to face whatever she had written him. It was likely something about that awkward moment they shared on the last day of class. 

As much as he wanted to talk to Belle, he couldn't bring himself to click on her email. He could face a bear, but was far too nervous to even see a message from the woman he loved. So he turned off his computer like he originally planned on doing and told himself he would read it later. 

However, later turned into days, days into weeks, and weeks into months. Somehow, fear for reading the words Belle sent him escalated as time went on, until he was frozen with panic any time he tried to open Belle's message. 

Before Gold knew it, summer had ended and Belle's email was still sitting in his inbox, left unread. What would he say about it the next time he ran into her? He'd really rather not tell her the truth - that he was too much of a coward to speak to her.


	4. Chapter 4

Weeks went by and then months went by and Belle had heard nothing back from Gold. Every single day she checked her email, and every day it hurt a little more to see that she had gotten no reply. 

At first she told herself that he hadn't messaged back because he was far too busy. Then she tried telling herself that the email didn't even warrant a response since all she did was tell him she had signed up for his class. It's not like she asked him an urgent question or anything. Eventually though a nagging fact in the back of her head wouldn't leave her alone, and she was forced to accept it when the third month went by without a reply.

If he cared enough for her, he would want to talk to her as much as possible. No one could be so busy that they had to go months without replying to someone. People make time for what they want to make time for. If he couldn't take a few seconds or minutes out of one day to reply to Belle, then he obviously hated the thought of speaking with her.

Belle cried until her head felt like it was filled with lead and busting at the seams and she had shaken all the energy out of her body. She probably could have gone all day like that but she wouldn't allow herself to do so. 

She decided to go to Granny's diner, where her friend Ruby worked as a waitress. Their food was delightful enough to make even an evil queen feel better, and even if it didn't help then at least it would be a distraction. 

That was probably her most used word this summer - distraction. She kept as busy as she could every day to keep Gold off of her mind, but it didn't always work.

The bell above the diner door rung and Ruby walked straight over to her friend. "What can I get for ya darlin?"

"A hug." Belle replied morosely. Ruby pouted and walked to the other side of the counter to embrace her friend. She already knew what was wrong with her, they had talked about it hundreds of times over the past few months.

"You wanna talk this time or just want some comfort food?" 

"You should keep working, i'll manage alone with a hamburger and some fries." 

Ruby could care less that she was supposed to be on duty. If one of her friends needed help, they were gonna get it. "What? No, we don't have a lot of customers right now anyway."

Although Belle wasn't blind and could see that the diner was having its usual lunch rush, she knew Ruby wouldn't leave her side while she was obviously in distress.

"It's just that it's the end of summer. I have to leave for the London trip in a few days, and I never got a single reply from him. I just feel pathetic and I don't want to have to face him again."

"Then don't! You can cancel the trip. He doesn't deserve to see your beautiful face any damn way."

"I've already paid and wouldn't get the money back if I canceled Rubes."

"Well when you get there just ignore him. Find a cute European boy to bring back to the hotel and make sure he sees you guys gettin' handsy."

Belle knew she should have expected her friend to say something like that. "Ruby!" She slapped her arm playfully.

"Fine, if you don't want any of the European boys then bring them back to me!" 

~~~~~~~~~~

Gold sat on the airplane picking at a thread that hung off of his pants leg, and occasionally glancing up at the door he had recently walked through.

Belle's name was on the roster, yet she still hadn't arrived even though all other students and faculty had. He wasn't sure if he was more relieved or disappointed by the thought that she might have decided not to show up.

There was barely seven minutes left until take off when Belle shot through the plane's door. Gold's head snapped up, a hopeful smile spread across his face. 

He was nervous about even being around the woman but he figured the best approach here would be a friendly one, instead of ignoring her like he often did out of anxiety. 

Belle walked down the aisle, and Gold tried to wave at her, but she didn't even glance in the professor's direction as she searched for her seat. Was she giving him the cold shoulder?

Guilt rose up in him for not answering the email. He couldn't blame her if she was upset at him for ignoring her for the entire summer break.

Then again, she probably couldn't care less about that. He really had to stop convincing himself that the ones he fell for loved him back. Why did he do that every time he fell for someone?

It was probably so easy to convince himself that people loved him back because he needed it so badly to be true that his brain couldn't handle it if it wasn't. But that wasn't anything he wanted to keep thinking about.

The professor thought about getting up to greet Belle at some point during the flight but resigned to leaving her alone. Whether she felt angry or indifferent about him not sending back a reply, she wanted nothing to do with him either way.

The plane finally departed after a lengthy wait, and Gold didn't feel the energy to do anything other than lay his head on the seat and stare blankly out of the window beside him. It was going to be a long ride.

~~~~~~~~~~

Yeah okay she felt terrible about not even looking at Professor Gold when she got on board, but Belle figured that if he didn't even want to answer an email from her then he probably didn't care if she said hello to him either.

It didn't even matter anyway. She pushed him out of her mind, trying to convince herself that the only thing that mattered was enjoying this trip and learning a thing or two (that she didn't already know) about Shakespeare.

Maybe she would even do what ruby suggested and chat up a few boys. Maybe even the one sitting next to her right now... he didn't look too bad. "Are you here for the Intro the Shakespeare class?"

He drew his attention away from the girl he was eyeing up close by to see who was speaking. Pleased to see a pretty face, he was more than happy to strike up a conversation, "Lucky for you I am. I could probably teach you more about Shakespeare than that wanker up there could." He laughed while pointing a finger in the direction Gold was seated.

Belle tried not to grimace at his insult, "Oh really? Are you just coming along to see the sights then?"

"Something like that," he winked, "although I got a pretty good one in front of me right now. How about you let me take you for a few drinks when we hit the ground?"

Belle had to keep herself from cringing at everything this guy said. "I don't even know your name."

"You don't need to know my name to know that you like me," he squeezed her knee, "but it's Will Scarlet."

If she was being honest with herself, Will was obviously a jerk that she wanted nothing to do with. But a bit of flirting was harmless, and who said it had to lead anywhere?   
As long as he could distract her from Gold, and maybe even make the older man jealous, then she would happily suffer through a few hours with the guy.

One thing she wouldn't happily suffer through however was the urge to use the bathroom. Belle stood up and turned into the aisle where she bumped with a gasp into a cocktail glass, the top half of her blouse soaking up almost every bit that spilled out.

"Oh darling! Please do watch where you're going, you made me lose my drink!" Zelena's eyes sparkled with malice.

Will jumped up to grab some napkins for Belle, "Here babe." He rubbed down her shirt, with far too much joy mind you, but it hardly soaked up any of the liquid.

Zelena walked back to her seat which was located right next to Mr. Gold, and Belle noticed the professor staring at her with a scowl. She could only assume that she had pissed him off by causing his girlfriend to spill her drink. 

Although the witch seemed far too pleased with herself after spilling the glass, Belle couldn't be sure she had done it on purpose. The one thing could be sure of though was that this was going to be a long semester.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know nothing about studying abroad btw as i have never done it, so if anything about it doesnt seem entirely realistic, then lets just pretend its realistic in their world lol


	5. Chapter 5

"Everyone please come to me to get their room assignment. There will be two to a room, with same sex roommates." Gold stood in the lobby of the hostel, yelling instructions to his rowdy students.

"After you get your room assignment, proceed to the room to unpack. It is getting late but you do have time to take a trip somewhere if you wish to do so, however keep in mind that you have to be back by eleven P.M. If you do not return by this time, you will be put on a plane to go home first thing in the morning. That goes for any other rule you break as well."

The students clustered around Professor Gold to receive their room assignment and key, antsy to get it over with so that they could go out and have fun.

Belle got her assignment while sheepishly avoiding eye contact with Gold. She managed to make it to her room without Will spotting which one she went into. Which meant, for tonight at least, that she was safe from spending anymore time in his company.

Belle just sat on her bed because she didn't have much to unpack - nothing in fact. After the plane had landed, she was informed that all of her luggage had been lost. Thankfully she did have her backpack, that she took onto the plane as a carry on, which had all of the important items in it such as a passport, money, etc.

She would certainly be needing the money too, seeing as how the only clothing she had was the items that she was wearing which Zelena spilled alcohol all over.

After everything that had happened the last few months, Belle was having a hard time keeping her spirits up.

All she wanted to do at the moment was shut out the world and sleep but her roommate, a shy and kind girl by the name of Ashley, came in shortly after Belle did. After spending some time getting to know one another, the two decided to go shopping and explore the town for a bit.

Gold was trying to settle into his own room, which he thankfully didn't have to share with anyone, when laughter that unmistakably sounded like Belle's floated in through his open window.

He walked over and leaned against the windowsill, immediately spotting the beauty walking away from the hostel, arm in arm with another student. He couldn't keep the bittersweet smile off of his face upon spotting Belle under the moonlight.

He was grateful for how dark it was out so that he could go unnoticed while watching her giggle her way down the street.

It was that moment when Gold decided he would have been more disappointed than relieved if Belle hadn't shown up on the plane. Even if things weren't great between them, and even if things didn't turn out like he wanted them to, he was still happy to have her around.

A shrill sound accompanied by a knock at his door sent a bolt of panic through Gold that jolted him away from the window. He stared through the bedroom door's peephole with hatred at Zelena who was trying to get him to let her in.

"Goldiiiiiiiiiie, I know you're in there babe! Open up!" He cursed himself for giving that woman a list of the room assignments, but it was something that couldn't be avoided.

Zelena continued trying to get an answer out of the man that stood silently on the other side of the door.

Gold breathed a sigh of relief when she finally left after shouting that he couldn't avoid her forever. No maybe he couldn't forever, he thought, but at least he could tonight.

The professor spent the night anxiously expecting to hear another knock on his door. Thankfully though he only heard the giggles that signaled Belle's return to the hostel before he drifted off to sleep.

~~~~~

Morning brought with it a reminder to adhere to the rules. Two students ignored the warnings that Gold had given the previous day and showed up to the hostel at 1:24 A.M. only to be sent home by Zelena hours afterwards.

"They were just trying to have a good time. Zelena and Gold are the beasts in this situation if you ask me." Will told Belle as he shoved a piece of toast in his mouth.

Somewhere between Will throwing insults at her favorite person while chewing with his mouth open and seeing the green goblin a few tables away stroking Gold's arm, Belle lost her appetite.

As much as she wanted to return to her room and bury her nose in a book, class was scheduled to start shortly. So she had to endure the rest of the worst breakfast she had ever experienced, which was in no way the food's fault. At least she had the company of Ashley to exchange looks with at every stupid comment Will made.

Belle might not have had a great start to her day, but she was actually looking forward to their first class. They were going to take a tour of The Globe Theater first, and then begin discussing one of the plays that they would be seeing there in a few days.

It became clear to Belle within the first hour of class that Will knew nothing about Shakespeare. He couldn't stop himself from making stupid comments and asking idiotic questions about everything the guide and Professor Gold were talking about.

As much as she wanted to get away from Will and the distractions he kept causing that made it hard to focus on the lesson, he wouldn't let her get away. She did her best to ignore him but it was getting increasingly difficult since Will became more bored and rowdy by the second.

The guide started to lead everyone up on the stage, where Will and Killian took it upon themselves to create a scene. How could they resist the opportunity to show off their acting skills at The Globe?

"Thou dare to try and sway my love's heart towards your own?" Will lunged at Killian, who would have hit Belle if she hadn't taken a step back.

"How can you love her when you have no heart yourself? Let me have her or this blade will pierce your empty chest!" Killian swayed an imaginary blade around in the air.

Belle took a guess and figured that she was the princess in need of saving in whatever story they had going on in their heads.

Their shouting attracted more and more attention until all eyes had landed on them. Both seemed to take it as encouragement, so they continued their duel and ignored the shouts of Professor Gold. They might have thought they were impressing people but all Belle could focus on was how immature and annoying they both were.

Will grabbed hold of Killian and both tussled with each other before Will pushed Killian so far back that he fell into Belle. She knew now that she should have been less focused on their ignorance and more focused on what that ignorance was leading to.

Killian was able to stop himself short of the stage's edge but in the process, knocked Belle right off of it. Her hands grasped at air, trying to find anything to hold onto until she felt a pair of arms grip her waist.

Belle's brain quit working when she found Gold's face so close to her's that she could feel the heat of his sporadic breathing hit her lips. The heady smell of Gold's cologne did nothing to help her stop feeling overwhelmed.

Zelena stood behind them and cleared her throat. The noise sounded far off but made the realization come to Belle that she should say something. However, Belle's brain remained frozen and she couldn't do anything except stare at the golden brown eyes in front of her and stutter.

Gold apparently couldn't manage any better than Belle could at the moment. He couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from her rose colored lips and could think only of the soft warm figure beneath his fingers.

It felt like ages, though was likely only seconds, before Zelena finally grabbed Gold's shoulder and yanked him out of his stupor and Belle's grasp.

"I think we can resume the class now that your student is safe."

Gold couldn't look at Belle as she muttered a thank you. Before starting class again, Will and Killian were screamed at and told that if they couldn't behave themselves then they would be sent home.

For the rest of the class the two boys were forced to stay at the front of the group so that they could be kept an eye on. Belle kept sending lingering gazes at Gold, who didn't look at her for the rest of the day.

Her anger at Mr. Gold suddenly washed away and Belle felt guilty at the cold shoulder she had been giving him since her arrival on the plane. Being that close to him made her realize how much she missed having him in her life.

She couldn't believe all the times she allowed herself to ignore this man just because she was upset that Gold didn't feel the same way as she did, when she should have been enjoying his presence before she had to leave the university and him as well.

When there are billions of people on the planet and tons that cross your path every day, it can be hard to meet one that affects you so deeply. Instead of being angry at her unreturned romantic desires, Belle knew she should feel lucky and happy that she had even met Mr. Gold.

And she was, even if he didn't feel the same way as she did. Which he wasn't required to do. It wasn't his fault if he didn't care for her anyway. After all, you can't force your heart to love someone.

Belle couldn't help but beam at Gold the rest of the day, her veins flowing with the warmth of gratitude for his presence in her life.

Gold on the other hand, was feeling more shy around her than he ever had. Not to mention worried at the thought of what Zelena might do to punish him, or even worse - Belle, for what had just happened. As much as he loved being near Belle and having her in his arms, he had to make sure nothing like that ever happened again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im not saying Zelena got rid of Belle's luggage, but that's exactly what i'm saying.


	6. Chapter 6

The rest of the first day of class had gone smooth, but Gold knew he hadn't avoided a confrontation with Zelena. 

Class had ended not long ago, and the endless downpour happening in London that week made his leg ache. He didn't feel like going out on the town like all the students were doing at the moment, so he sat on the desk chair to take his shoes off. Unfortunately, he had been so focused on getting in his room to relax that he forgot to shut and lock the door behind him.

"Do you think saving miss French from a little fall is going to make her see you as a hero, her knight in golden armor?"

Gold startled at hearing the witch speaking behind him and turned to see her leaning on his door frame. It was almost like she magically poofed herself places with the way she sneaked in everywhere unnoticed.

"I wasn't going to stand there and watch her break her neck Zelena."

"I bet you just loved getting your hands all over her didn't you?" Zelena crossed her arms with a smile full of resentment. 

Gold broke eye contact as her truthful words made him heat up with shame.

She walked further into the professor's room to continue spitting venom as Gold just sat there waiting for her to leave. 

"I do not want to see you touching her again. Matter of fact, I don't even want to see you speaking to her. The only woman you should want to lay hands on and speak with is me."

She had no clue how much Gold wanted to lay hands on her, just not in the way she was hoping for. 

"She's my student, I can't very well avoid talking to her if she needs something!"

"Fine, but i'll be watching every little interaction between the two of you,"

Gold interrupted her "like you haven't been already?"

Zelena tapped a sharp claw against Gold's shirt, "and if I see something that I don't like again, I will make that wee little piggy cry all the way home."

Gold sat slack jawed, knowing that nothing he could say would help to make any of this any better. The last thing he wanted was for Belle to be punished due to no fault of her own. 

So he decided he would do anything he could to keep her away from him, lest Zelena see something she didn't like and decide to send Belle home.

Content with taking Gold's silence as understanding, Zelena bent down to kiss his forehead. As she walked out of the room, he tried to think of any solution he could that would help to end that evil woman's reign of terror.

~~~~~

A week went by without anything else happening that Zelena might have found fault in. Belle asked questions in class instead of ignoring him, and Gold sent wistful gazes her way when she wasn't looking. Besides that, Gold made sure he kept his distance. Outside of class, he often went out of his way to avoid her by taking alternate routes or hiding in a nearby room until she passed. 

Maybe it was a good thing that he avoided Belle as much as possible now so that he could learn to get over her. When he met her last semester, he wouldn't allow himself to acknowledge the growing feelings he had for that beautiful young woman that sat in the front row and always answered his questions. Even challenging him with questions and smart remarks of her own. 

Soon enough though their banter extended outside of the classroom and they grew closer until he could no longer ignore how he felt about her. Things started getting weird between them soon afterwards because he started ignoring her frequently. Avoiding eye contact, not answering her emails, not calling on her in class to answer his questions. 

He mostly did it out of fear, because he knew that no one as wonderful as Belle could ever love him, and knew he would be hurt when she left his class. So he started shutting her out. Sometimes though she got his attention, when he was starved for it after ignoring her for too long.

Even when he tried to pay no attention to her, he couldn't help but be overly aware of her presence. He shot glances her way, and often still talked to her in class, and she never left his mind.

Giving her less attention never helped to lessen his feelings though. Gold knew that he would never get over Belle unless he pushed her out of his life, and his mind for good. So he was sure it had to be a good thing that Zelena was causing him to avoid her, even if it did make his heart ache.

Gold wanted to do one last thing before pushing her out of his life for good. The professor took his phone out to get on the internet. He wanted to read the email Belle had sent him months ago before he deleted it. 

Surprise shot through his heart as Gold saw not one, but two unread emails from Belle in his inbox now. The second one was sent the day after he had caught her as she fell off the stage.

His hand shook as he tapped a finger on the screen to open the first email, in which she explained that she had signed up for his Intro to Shakespeare class and was excited for it.  
He felt so stupid about being too nervous to open it on the night she sent it.

Gold forced himself to delete the email immediately instead of allowing himself to savor the sweet words Belle wrote. He was probably twice as nervous to read the second message.  
After minutes of staring at the screen, he finally clicked on the email and started reading.

Mr. Gold,

I must have hit my head when I fell yesterday and went into shock, because I couldn't even utter a proper thank you after you caught me.  
I might have been sent away in an ambulance if it wasn't for you, so thank you. I'm lucky to have you around.

While i'm typing this, I might as well add that so far i'm glad I came on this trip. Even if it might be a bit dangerous (totally due to badly built stages and not because I wasn't watching where I was going) it is still a great experience.

Your favorite student,  
Belle French

P.S. I wonder if Shakespeare fell off that stage too?

Gold grinned like an idiot as he read the whole thing. Then a pang of remorse replaced the joy in his heart as he thought about what he was fixing to do.

Ms. French,

The only danger you are susceptible to isn't caused by badly built stages, but rather by your lack of attentiveness. Not to mention the ample inches your stilettos provide which is likely what caused you to trip over yourself.

Do try to avoid causing anymore disruptions in my class.

Professor Gold

That should keep her from wanting anything to do with him for a while. Even if that was the last thing Gold wanted, he knew it was important to keep Belle away so that she would be safe from Zelena's wrath.


	7. Chapter 7

Belle kept checking her email even though she wasn't really expecting a reply from Gold. He didn't answer the first email, why would he answer the second?

But no matter how hard she tried to squash it down, hope still bubbled in her chest. Hope that apparently wasn't foolish to hold onto because one night she opened her account to see a message from her professor.

Belle filled with excitement until she opened the email...... and then spent the entire night crying her eyes out. 

Morning came and class was only a few hours away. She hated for anyone to see her red and puffy eyes but she hated the thought of seeing Gold even more. The bastard. 

But skipping class isn't tolerated and one day missed would result in her being sent back home. But now that she thought about it, maybe that's exactly what she wanted. Maybe it's what Gold wanted too.

She wasn't sure how they could have gone from being good friends last semester to the professor hating her this semester. What could she have done to have caused that?

She sat and thought about everything that had happened between the two of them during the last two semesters. She found no evidence of doing anything that would cause Mr. Gold to treat her this way.

Unless she came on too strong? Or maybe he was scared of what faculty might assume if he was seen being more friendly to one student than all the rest? Maybe he was just scared to get close to anyone? He was rarely seen talking to anyone unless there was good reason for it.

Whatever the reason was for Gold being so cruel to her, Belle decided she needed to get to the bottom of it. Maybe it was something she could fix. And if not, then at least she would know the meaning behind his words and actions. 

In the meantime, Belle forced herself to get up and go take a cold shower hoping it would help get rid of her puffy eyes.

After class ended, the group headed out to a river cruise, which she was determined to enjoy. 

Gold would be there but she didn't want to get an answer out of him that night, nor did she want to spend the whole night thinking about him. She just wanted to focus on enjoying the cruise.

She needed to learn how to keep her mind off of him because Belle had been so focused on Mr. Gold recently that she hadn't allowed herself to enjoy her time in London. She refused to allow herself to do that tonight.

Surprisingly, she was doing a pretty good job of it so far. Belle spent most of the cruise chatting with friends while watching the water ripple as the boat trailed lazily up the river.

For the most part, Belle felt at ease and content during the ride. But that might have been because of the wealthy supply of champagne that the boat had in stock.

Before long the sun started setting, making the tangerine sky cast a tranquil glow over everything in sight.

The boat crew gave power to the strings of lights that were wrapped around the hand rails lining the deck. Slow music filled the air, and suddenly the atmosphere changed from relaxing to romantic.

Will dragged Belle to the middle of the deck to dance. As he slid his arms around her, Belle's chest ached as she wished they were the same arms that had held her when she fell from the stage. 

Lifting her head from the crook of Will's shoulder, her eyes landed on Mr. Gold standing nearby, gripping the rail with white knuckles. He leered at Will, but softened his gaze when it landed on Belle.

Different emotions flickered across Gold's face before he tore his eyes away and hurried out of sight.

Was he upset that she was dancing with Will? Although Belle hated to see Gold upset, she hoped her suspicions were right. It would mean he did care for her. 

She cursed herself for not being able to go one night without thinking about him, or wanting to talk to him. However, this seemed like an opportune moment to question Gold and she had to take it.

She loosened her grip around the man in front of her and followed after Mr. Gold without a word of explanation.

He made his way to the first floor which was mostly vacant except for a couple of students in the back that were making out with one another. They stopped when they saw company had arrived and headed back up to the second floor, joining everyone else to dance.

The professor went to stand at the side of the boat, holding onto the rail. He didn't notice that Belle had followed him so she took a minute to take in the sight of him leaning there, his hair fluttering in the wind.

"Can we talk?" 

"Wouldn't you rather be upstairs with your boyfriend?" Gold didn't turn his head to look at her.

Belle walked over to stand beside him, "If I did then why would I be here with you?"

"What do you need Ms. French?"

"Answers."

"Maybe you should try Google then."

"Why are you acting like this?"

"Like what, dearie?" he finally looked at her with a stone cold expression.

"You know. We used to talk all the time and now you barely even look at me. I miss you." she covered one of his hand with hers.

Gold's mouth was glued shut. He had no clue what to say. All he could do was stare in disbelief at Belle for actually confronting him about this. She was so brave. One of the many things he loved about her.

"I can't talk about this. I'm so sorry Belle." he looked at her with misery etched in his face before reluctantly slipping his hand out from under hers.

Belle stood there and watched him walk back the way he came. Gold might have left her with zero answers, and double the questions she had before, but she knew this exchange hadn't been a failure.


End file.
